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Balm of America: Patent Medicine Collection

About the CollectionThe Smithsonian Institution began to collect objects related to health and medicine in 1881. It first obtained examples of patent medicines in 1930, acquiring packages of Haarlem Oil (or Dutch Drops), Dr. John Hooper’s Female Pills, and Roche’s Herbal Embrocation. Since then the Smithsonian’s collection of patent medicines has expanded to over 4,000 products, dating from the 19th century to the present day.

About this Object GroupThis group of objects features examples from this collection, found in the Division of Medicine and Science at the National Museum of American History. Each entry includes a photo of the object, the product’s name, maker’s name, place of manufacture, and a date range. Ingredients and therapeutic claims are included when indicated on the product packaging.

BrowseBrowse the collection by therapeutic category. You can also use the keyword search (at right) which searches all fields of information.

The indications or uses for this product as provided by the manufacturer, or as found in contemporary medical literature, are:

For brain workers. This delightful effervescent salt is an almost certain remedy for the relief of the nervous headache resulting from overtaxed mental energy or excitement, acute attacks of indigestion, the depression following alcoholic excesses, the supra-sensitiveness of chloral, morphia, and opium habitues, and with ladies the headache and backache of neurasthenia, hysteria, dysmenorrhoea and kindred disorders. A great boon and prompt source of relief in almost all cases of headache and distress attending mental fatigue and physical exhaustion, it commends itself especially to physicians, teachers, clergyman, lawyers, merchants and others following professions or pursuits requiring nerve energy subjecting to mental strain.

The indications or uses for this product as provided by the manufacturer are: For dyspepsia and indigestion. A scientific preparation containing pancreatine, pepsin and other well known ingredients skillfully combined for indigestion, heartburn, flatulence, sour-stomach, nausea, sick headache, gastralgia.

The indications or uses for this product as provided by the manufacturer are: For relieving the pains and discomforts of headaches, neuralgia and muscular aches and pains caused by or associated with colds

The indications or uses for this product as provided by the manufacturer are: Crampton's Home Tablets No. 3 are a perfect remedy for all forms of diarrhea, including dysentery, summer complaint and cholera infantum, also a reliable remedy for vomitting in cases of bilious headache, etc.